Chairman Poe on the hearing: “The rapid progress of North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs have dominated international attention as the regime continues to provocatively defy calls to halt its destabilizing behavior. However, this should not cause us to miss other significant threats emanating from the North that could open new risks to the U.S. and its allies, be proliferated to other rogue actors, or limit our options to resolve the ongoing nuclear crisis. To effectively address the full threat from North Korea, we must know the extent of the regime’s chemical, biological, and conventional weapon programs. This hearing will examine the status of these dangers and how we can tailor policies to disrupt their progress in conjunction with their nuclear and missile development.”

Chairman Yoho on the hearing: “The danger North Korea poses to the world is more than just its rogue nuclear program and ballistic missile brinksmanship; Pyongyang develops other weapons of mass destruction, and maintains imposing conventional military capabilities. Pyongyang is thought to have a stockpile of thousands of metric tons of chemical weapons, which can be used on Seoul at a moment’s notice, and recent reports indicate a burgeoning biological weapons program. Just last year, North Korean agents assassinated Kim Jong Un’s half-brother with VX nerve agent, prompting the long overdue relisting of North Korea as a State Sponsor of Terrorism and reminding the world that Kim is ready and willing to use such heinous tools. What’s more, despite heavy financial sanctions, North Korea still fields the world’s fourth largest army, with over one million personnel in the country’s armed forces. In this hearing, the Subcommittees will discuss these aspects of the threat, which are too often overlooked amid North Korea’s headline-grabbing rocketry.”